OpenAirDocs.org

20210520009369I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Cessna 172M · Hickory, NC · May 20, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 20, 2021 · 15:45 local
Place
Hickory, NC
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N13450
Reported as
Cessna 172M
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
71 total
N13450Registered now · Cessna 172MS/N 17262760 · Built 1973Airframe modelCessna 172MEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On may 20, 2021, a student pilot departed kukf heading to khky to practice communications with a towered airport and to practice landings. AWOS at the time reported the winds as calm and variable. The pilot was flying solo.

The pilot made two previous landings on runway 24 with no issues and during the third landing, crosswind gusts were experienced, pushing the aircraft left of centerline. The pilot brought the aircraft back close to centerline and upon touch down, bounced back into the air. The aircraft touched down a second time and the aircraft began to porpoise resulting in the left wing tip striking the runway, and causing the left wing outboard leading edge skin to become distorted. The aircraft touched down a third time with enough force to cause the nose landing gear wheel/tire assembly to separate from the nose landing gear fork, resulting in a prop strike against the ground. The nose landing gear fork, now in contact with the runway, skidded on the runway surface bringing the aircraft to rest in an upright position right of the centerline.

There were no reported injuries or damage other than to the aircraft. The airport staff notified emergency crews who responded and removed the aircraft from the runway.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 20, 2021, A STUDENT PILOT DEPARTED KUKF HEADING TO KHKY TO PRACTICE COMMUNICATIONS WITH A TOWERED AIRPORT AND TO PRACTICE LANDINGS. AWOS AT THE TIME REPORTED THE WINDS AS CALM AND VARIABLE. THE PILOT WAS FLYING SOLO.

THE PILOT MADE TWO PREVIOUS LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 24 WITH NO ISSUES AND DURING THE THIRD LANDING, CROSSWIND GUSTS WERE EXPERIENCED, PUSHING THE AIRCRAFT LEFT OF CENTERLINE. THE PILOT BROUGHT THE AIRCRAFT BACK CLOSE TO CENTERLINE AND UPON TOUCH DOWN, BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN A SECOND TIME AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO PORPOISE RESULTING IN THE LEFT WING TIP STRIKING THE RUNWAY, AND CAUSING THE LEFT WING OUTBOARD LEADING EDGE SKIN TO BECOME DISTORTED. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN A THIRD TIME WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO CAUSE THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WHEEL/TIRE ASSEMBLY TO SEPARATE FROM THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FORK, RESULTING IN A PROP STRIKE AGAINST THE GROUND. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FORK, NOW IN CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY, SKIDDED ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE BRINGING THE AIRCRAFT TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION RIGHT OF THE CENTERLINE.

THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES OR DAMAGE OTHER THAN TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRPORT STAFF NOTIFIED EMERGENCY CREWS WHO RESPONDED AND REMOVED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY.